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Topic: November 2018 Work Report (Read 19028 times)

* Track: We need to retrieve the two flatcars from Sheepscot Mills and bring them back to Sheepscot Station, and prep 118 for stone (stakes, boards, etc). Perhaps we can even get stone from Alna Center, if someone is willing to drive the tractor up there. If we can get stone, then we should unload it over the new switch, and over the lifted track south of Sutter's Crossing so that the speed restriction can get lifted. Load up the flatcar with our reject rail and old frogs from Davis grade and deliver.* Machine shop

Not sure what else there is. At some point it will be time to start cutting trees, but maybe not until after Christmas.

* Switching: In the morning we traveled to Sheepscot Mills, cleaning out the crossings as we went. We retrieved the two flats and brought them back to the North Yard. In the afternoon we traveled the length of the line, cleaning crossings also. When we got back, we brought 67 over to the car shop, which required switching pretty much everything outside around.* Fred: sharpened chain saws.

To report on the shop heat: Jason acquired 2 coal stoves over the weekend, and the piping for exhaust has been acquired. I think stoves and piping will be installed this week.

As James noted, a crew of five (Ken Berlo, Dave Buczkowski, Al Michelis, James Patten and I) spent a good portion of the day clearing the line and picking up the two flats at Sheepscot Mills. A few photos...

Locomotive #52's brake shoes were frozen early on, so it took a bit of time to get out on the line. At 9.57 a.m., we see Ken, Dave, James (engineer) and Al after Jayne's Way crossing had been cleaned and #52 had passed over.

Dave, James and Ken clean Brook Crossing, 10.03 a.m.

Al, James, Ken and Dave clean Sutter's Crossing, 10.19 a.m. We were lifting, leveling and tamping the track just south of this crossing three weeks ago, a bit hard to believe now.

Dave, James, Al and Ken clean the Sheepscot Mills crossing, 10.28 a.m. Not very clear in this photo is the grading work for the Maine Locomotive and Machine Works siding that was actively underway today in the background. The immediate goal this morning was to pick up the two flatcars for return to Sheepscot, so they can be loaded with track material for the siding.

The two flatcars were returned to Sheepscot just before lunch.

Immediately after lunch, we spent time clearing the rest of the crossings to Top of the Mountain. A private charter (railroad retirement party) is booked for next Saturday. Here's the view of cleaning Trask's Crossing at 12.21 p.m.

Cleaning the logging crossing just north of Albee's field at 12.50 p.m.

Cleaning Rosewood Crossing, 12.55 p.m.

We then ran the rest of the line to Top of the Mountain, before returning south. At Sheepscot Mills, we stopped to take photos of the grading work for the siding completed today. 1.08 p.m. view. James has a better photo here.

Close-up view of the grading work today near the switch. The ground hasn't frozen yet.

After returning to Sheepscot we spent 1-1/2 to 2 hours switching cars around in Sheepscot, perhaps most notably to get B&SR boxcar #67 into shop bay 2 for more completion work. #52 was put away for the day around 3.30 p.m.